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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-12 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington Meeting Minutes Date: Thursday, October 12, 2023 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Microsoft Teams or Meeting Room 1C, Municipal Administrative Centre 40 Temperance St., Bowmanville, Ontario Members Present: Henry Zekveld (Chair), Tom Barrie, Eric Bowman, Brenda Metcalf, John Cartwright, Richard Rekker, Mitch Morawetz (DRFA), Councillor Zwart Regrets: Jordan McKay, Ryan Cullen, Craig Rickard, Jennifer Knox Staff Present: Amy Burke, Sylvia Jennings, Andrew Poray, Ashlee Kielbiski – Planning and Infrastructure Services Guests: Allison De Vos – Invest Durham, Bonnie Wrightman – Clarington Board of Trade 1. Welcome and Introductions Henry Zekveld welcomed all to the meeting, with introductions. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement Henry Zekveld recited Clarington’s Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Declarations of Interest None 4. Approval of Minutes of August 10, 2023 023-013 Moved by Eric Bowman, seconded by Tom Barrie That the minutes of the August 10, 2023, meeting be approved. Carried 5. Presentations / Delegations 5a. An introduction to Clarington Economic Development and Tourism - Andrew Poray, Economic Development Manager and Ashlee Kielbiski, Economic Development Coordinator, Invest Clarington A. Poray introduced the Clarington Economic Development Division and reviewed its history and purpose. He explained that the Division was formed 11 months ago and includes five staff members. The Division focuses on creating an environment in Clarington that supports the creation and retention of businesses, primarily Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 focusing on providing support related to municipal services including permits, applications, and grant programs. The Clarington Board of Trade was previously the main organization that provided economic development support in the community. Their role now primarily focuses on business promotion and retention. The two organizations work in complimentary ways to ultimately strengthen the business community in Clarington. A. Poray answered questions from the Committee. Questions were asked about the Division’s ability to attract businesses, and the major barriers to business development. The Division markets the Municipality to outside businesses and highlights the Municipality’s benefits. A lack of serviced land is a barrier to attracting major investment. The Division is advocating for servicing and working with the Region of Durham. A. Poray highlighted the new Business Resource and Information Centre which is currently being planned. Programming in the Centre is currently being determined in consultation with the community. Committee members were encouraged to submit comments or fill out the survey attached to this meeting’s agenda to the Economic Development team by Monday, October 16, 2023. A. Kielbiski spoke about the Economic Development Division’s tourism function. The fall campaign is currently ongoing, with a focus on advertising outside of Clarington to focus on bringing in net new collars into the community. Its theme is agricultural experiences – pick your own, farms, and farm markets. Staff worked with an influencer from Toronto, TO’s Finest, to highlight apples and cider in Clarington. Archibald Orchards, Geissberger Cider, and Lakeshore Cider were highlighted. The video has been seen 200,000 times. A. Kielbiski also spoke about agriculture’s role as a key economic driver in the 2022 Economic Development Strategy. More consultation with the Committee will occur in the future to determine concrete actions that can be taken to support the agricultural community including by advancing agri-tech and agri-businesses. The Economic Development team welcomes suggestions from the Committee as they draft their 2024 work plan. Henry thanked the Economic Development team for their presentation. 6. Business Arising from Previous Meeting 6a. Official Plan Review – Discussion Questions – All A. Burke shared a discussion question with the Committee to obtain their early feedback for the Official Plan Review. The question was: What are our community values and priorities and how can we build on what we have? The Committee noted that Clarington contains some of the most productive farmland in Canada and therefore must protect this land from residential and industrial development pressures. Development should focus on land that has already been taken out of agricultural production, and strong mandates are needed that prevent more land from being taken out of production. The Committee noted that increased population has led to land speculation, which makes it difficult for farmers to continue to choose to farm in Clarington. Conflicts with agricultural Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 vehicles and personal vehicles have also increased as more residential development occurs in rural areas. The Committee noted that agriculture can bring the community together, bringing the end user closer to their local food supply. Promoting agriculture and finding ways to introduce consumers to farms through permitted uses like on-farm sales increases the value of agriculture in the community. Better education around the reality of farming is needed to address the urban-rural divide. 6b. AACC Work Plan 2023/2024 – All The Committee considered the draft 2023/2024 work plan that was reviewed at the previous meeting. A. Burke noted that this document would be referenced at the next Committee meeting in preparation for the annual AACC update to Council. 023-014 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, Seconded by Richard Rekker That the Committee adopts the draft Work Plan for the 2023/2024 years. Carried 7. Correspondence, Council Items and Referrals The following were circulated for information: • Letter from the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative – August 28, 2023 • Region of Durham media campaign notice regarding a reminder to share the road with farm vehicles – September 5, 2023 (Durham Newsroom) Committee members raised safety concerns with farm conflicts with cyclists, citing an experience of a cyclist passing a moving farm vehicle on the righthand roadside shoulder. The Committee requested assistance to get the word out that this is an unsafe practice. This comment will be passed along to the staff liaison for the Active Transportation and Safe Roads Advisory Committee. 8. Liaison Reports 8a. Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee – T. Barrie T. Barrie shared updates from the previous DAAC meeting. Stacey Jibb from Invest Durham shared a presentation with DAAC on Growing Agri-Food Durham, a five- year plan to grow the industry in Durham. T. Barrie reported that this year’s DAAC tour was very successful. 8b. Durham Region Federation of Agriculture – M. Morawetz M. Morawetz provided the update. The annual general meeting was hosted by Kubota in Pickering and involved a tour of the facilities. At the meeting, board members and representatives to go to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture convention were elected. The next meeting will be in November, where chair elections will be held. There will be a Christmas social planned for December. A Committee member asked about current issues before the DRFA. M. Morawetz Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 reported that land use matters with respect to the Greenbelt were the primary issues currently considered. 8c. Durham Farm Connections – B. Metcalf B. Metcalf shared updates. The Celebrate Ag Gala is October 19 in Port Perry. The Oshawa Generals are partnering with Durham Farm Connections. The All About Farming trailer will be at the October 20 home game which will feature a country theme. A video promoting local food and farmers in Clarington will also be shown at home games through the rest of the season. The barn quilt tour currently has 22 quilts at 20 locations. A brochure will be printed shortly. In partnership with Durham Farm Fresh, Durham Farm Connections has hired a coordinator to engage the community with local agriculture for a two-year contract. 8d. Durham Agricultural Economic Development Update – A. De Vos A. De Vos shared updates from Invest Durham. They released their annual report on Growing Agriculture in Durham. A. De Vos and Stacey Jibb are presenting to various groups on the initiative and will present to the Committee at the December meeting. Invest Durham produced a video on the economic value chain of apples featuring Wilmot, Algoma, and other orchards in Durham. The video will be used as promotional and educational material to demonstrate the economic impact of the apple industry. This month, Invest Durham is teaming up with Durham Tourism and Durham Farm Fresh for a “Gather on the Farm” campaign with ads to support shopping local. 8e. Council Update – Councillor Zwart Councillor Zwart provided an update on relevant items on the October 16 General Government Committee meeting agenda. This included a motion relating to permission for backyard chickens, a request to construct a pipe under a municipal road to irrigate an adjacent farm parcel and a motion to ban rodenticide use at municipal facilities. The Committee reiterated the importance of rodenticides in farm practices and the safety precautions farmers use to prevent contamination. 8f. Clarington Board of Trade – Bonnie Wrightman B. Wrightman explained the function of the Clarington Board of Trade (CBOT), which is to support the growth and goals of Clarington businesses. She noted that agriculture is one of the top economic drivers in Clarington. CBOT has partnered with local farmers over the past 25 years to educate the local business community, celebrate and learn about agriculture, and tell the stories of farming in Clarington. CBOT is working to coordinate a local agricultural roundtable with the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. She thanked the Committee for providing feedback to inform planning of the roundtable and welcomes any additional comments. B. Wrightman will share the date of the roundtable, once available. CBOT is planning to bring back the Agricultural Summit, aiming for March 2024, and is seeking potential topics. Past topics have included succession planning, innovation and tech, and success stories of farmers both young and old. Potential topics being considered are AI and building careers in agriculture. Comments can be shared with Municipal staff or CBOT. Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 9. New Business 9a. Request for Council to endorse the Plant Based Treaty – A. Burke A.Burke shared a request received by the Mayor’s office. It requests that Council sign the Plant Based Treaty initiative as an act to support climate change mitigation. The Committee generally noted that providing options and choice is important, and any limiting of animal agriculture is not advised. Livestock producers should not be discriminated against. The underpinnings of the article were questioned, and the Committee noted that it did not accurately represent farming practices in Clarington. 023-015 Moved by Richard Rekker, Seconded by Brenda Metcalf That Clarington, having a diverse agricultural economy consisting of livestock and crops, cannot support a motion that would hamper the agricultural community. Carried 9b. Input Request – Business Resource and Information Centre – A. Kielbiski As referenced during Economic Development’s presentation, Committee Members are encouraged to submit feedback on the proposed Business Resources and Information Centre by Monday, October 16, 2023. Comments can be forwarded to A. Burke, S. Jennings, or A. Kielbiski. 10. Other Business 10a. Proposed Langmaid Road Battery Energy Storage Facility A Committee member raised a concern about a proposed large-scale energy storage facility located on the Oak Ridges Moraine and shared brochures from a group opposing the project (Greenbelt Water Keepers). It was indicated that some, but not all surrounding residents were informed about an information session that took place on September 20, 2023. The Committee noted that although the aim of the project appears beneficial, they raised concerns about the choice of location on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the lack of notice and communication with the community. Potential for pollution was questioned. Staff shared the project website (Langmaid Energy Storage) and contact (langmaid@powerplus.com). 10b. Amy Burke’s Last Day as Staff Liaison H. Zekveld thanked Amy Burke on behalf of the Committee for her work for the Committee over past years. The Committee presented Amy Burke a thank you card and gift of appreciation. A. Burke thanked the Committee for the learning opportunity and contributions of Committee members. 11. Date of Next Meeting November 9, 2023 12. Adjournment 023-016 Moved by J. Cartwright, Seconded by T. Barrie Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington October 12, 2023 That the meeting adjourn at 9:40 p.m. Carried